The Mac is poised to have its biggest year ever, says Barclays

Jon Prosser Imac 2021colors (Image credit: Jon Prosser / Front Page Tech)

What you need to know

Barclays believes Apple may ship a record number of Macs this year.
The prediction is contingent on new MacBook Pro and iMac releases.

Apple may have a record year on its hands when it comes to the Mac.

As reported by MacRumors, a new research note from Barclays says that the firm expects record Mac shipments for fiscal year 2021.

In a research note shared with MacRumors today, Barclays analysts said they expect Apple to report record Mac shipments in the 2021 fiscal year. Apple has seen strong demand for Macs driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the release of Apple silicon Macs.

This year could be huge for the Mac. While the company did release the new M1 MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Mac mini last year, a lot of Mac users (or potential new Mac users) have been waiting to see what the company does with its other Macs.

The MacBook Pro is rumored to experience a major refresh in the second half of this year, with the 13-inch MacBook Pro now being upgraded to a 14-inch display, much like the 16-inch MacBook Pro before it.

Apple is expected to unveil 14- and 16-inch miniLED-backlit MacBook Pro models in second-half 2021, with Radiant to be the exclusive supplier of BLUs and Quanta Computer to be an OEM, the sources noted.

16-inch MacBook Pro vs. 13-inch vs. Air (Image credit: Rene Ritchie / iMore)

As predicted by prolific supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple could bring back ports other than USB-C, including the HDMI port and SD slot.

A new report from Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reiterated that Apple plans to bring back both the SD card slot and the HDMI port to its MacBook Pro later this year.In a new research note seen by iMore, Kuo says Apple plans to launch two new MacBook Pro models in the second half of 2021, both with an all-new design and increased connectivity. Kuo states Apple will bring back the SD card slot and HDMI interface, echoing previous reports. The report also states the new Macs will have USB-C as well as high-speed USB 4.0 upgrades.

The iMac is also expected to go through a complete redesign with a release sometime later this year.

If all of these new Macs release this year, Barclay's prediction seems entirely reasonable.

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.